NYC Housing

College Majors Music Major
1

<p>My daughter will be attending Juilliard in the Fall (MM Viola) and we are trying to figure out housing. (We live in Arizona.) </p>

<p>She will have a roommate who will be attending NYU. We are looking for a two bedroom in the $2,000 to $2,500 range. Ideally the apartment would not be too far for either of them. It would be great if she could go back and forth if need be. Our daughter would prefer Manhattan, but is open to other options.</p>

<p>I have been combing every online resource I can find, including Craigslist, Urban Sherpa, NYBits, and a bunch of real estate sites. I have found more than a few places in Manhattan that seem to meet at least the basics in our price range. </p>

<p>I've also spoken with two brokers. One said we should have no problem and the other one said there are no two bedroom apartments in Manhattan for what we're able to pay. I realize it's possible, maybe even probable, that some of the apartments I've found online are not legit. But they can't all be scams. (can they?)</p>

<p>Brokers charge a lot of money --$3K-$5K! -- so if we could do it without one, that would be great.</p>

<p>She's at Music Academy until mid-August. My wife and I are planning to go to NYC to find a place in mid-July.</p>

<p>Anyone been down this road before?</p>

<p>For those in the know, could you tell me:</p>

<p>Where should we be looking?</p>

<p>How long is the commute from Brooklyn or Queens? (I know there are a lot of variables with this one)</p>

<p>What would the commute from NJ be like?</p>

<p>Is there any place in Manhattan that we should avoid? (Either for safety or commute difficulties?)</p>

<p>Any advice would be appreciated.</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

2

<p>use [HopStop.com</a> - Washington, D.C. Transit Directions: Metro, Train, Bus, ferry, Bike & Taxi](<a href=“http://www.hopstop.com%5DHopStop.com”>http://www.hopstop.com) to learn about various commute options and travel time</p>

3

<p>There were two relatively recent threads about Juilliard and housing.
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/926839-not-exactly-music-related-but-hoping-you-can-help-me-anyway.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/926839-not-exactly-music-related-but-hoping-you-can-help-me-anyway.html&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/1141505-off-campus-housing.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/1141505-off-campus-housing.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

4

<p>Juilliard is located on the west side in the 60’s, and is pretty accessible in terms of commuting, so that is a plus. Finding a two bedroom in the 2000-2500 dollar range may be difficult in the area that surrounds Juilliard as it like most of Manhattan tends to be expensive. That said, sometimes there are apartments available on the upper west side but it generally takes a lot of work to find them, and places like craigslist are iffy. There are other website others may be able to suggest, plus you may want to try to find the classifieds. I would hazard a guess that they may find it better pickings in the 90s between West end ave and Amsterdam Ave.I have friends who live in the 40’s and 50’s west of Broadway and they claim that isn’t bad,I can’t validate that, though the stretch 8th ave and west has changed a lot (might even be too expensive these days)</p>

<p>Another place to look at might be Inwood, it is at the northern tip of Manhattan (200’s) just north of the George Washington Bridge and via the A train it is pretty easy to get to Juilliard (the A stops at 59th street, which is a short walk to Juilliard). Another option might be riverdale, which is just across the harlem river from Manhattan (technically it is the Bronx) or Marble Hill, both of which via the 1 train is accessible to Juilliard via the 1 train and is not that bad a commute (maybe 1/2 hour). </p>

<p>There is also the area they call “Chelsea Heights”, which is on the west side in the upper 20’s and 30’s, roughly west of broadway. </p>

<p>As far as NJ goes, the so called “Gold Coast” has become expensive, but you might have a chance in some towns there, but the commute won’t necessarily be that great. From Hoboken and Jersey City the main method of commuting is the path train to 34th street, where you can transfer to the subway system (it isn’t a free transfer), but that could be a 40-50 minute commute. Hoboken has busses to the port authority terminal and from there you can take the subway or walk to Juilliard (if you feel like stretching your legs, bout a mile or so walk). From Weehawken, there are buses to the Port Authority or ferries, but then you still need to get uptown. </p>

<p>You could also try towns further up, like River Edge or Fort Lee, take a bus across the GWB and then take the A train down to Juilliard, but the problem. </p>

<p>Brooklyn or Queens offers options, in general, based on coworkers who live in those boroughs, it is a bit of a commute, depending on where you live, and parts of it have gotten very expensive. Astoria is reputed to be nice and from what I have heard it hasn’t gotten too expensive, and is a relatively sane commute to Juilliard (would take a change of trains I am pretty certain).</p>